A Fiend or friend?
by JLAgent77
Summary: The celebrations for the royal wedding are over and a bright future seems to come for Equestria, but a certain character doesn't think so. And he hopes that with Twilight's cooperation, he will be capable of preparing and protecting the entire world from the evil that he knows is to come.Will Twilight be able to fulfill her role to save Equestria, or will it fall into ruins?
1. Chapter 1

Firecrackers filled the night as the royal wedding was being held.  
It was the happiest day for Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor. For Twilight and her friends, it was the most memorable night of their lives.  
Joy and happiness filled the night, and for just one night, all other problems were put aside. But meanwhile, far from… that plane of existence, a mysterious figure was watching the wedding party, using everypony's eyes as if they were cameras.

"No… they are not prepared yet. Even after that has happened, they are just not ready for what is to come… I must help them, I must prepare them." And the monitors that were watching the party were shut down.

The next two weeks after the royal wedding were very peaceful and calm. In Ponyville, Twilight only had to write one friendship report, something about charity. Since then, things had been almost boring for Twilight Sparkle. Although she was a skeptical pony, she felt sure that the future was bright. She looked upon the window and saw the bright sunny day along with the bird's singing, but despite the beauty of the day, she couldn't be distracted from her studies. Yet she was feeling something that was making her uneasy, maybe the fact that Queen Chrysalis was defeated. Yes, but now she is living in this world; that could be a great concern. Or that her brother hadn't written to her yet, and she didn't know how he was doing, and for that matter, how Cadence was doing. Twilight resolved that even if the future wasn't that bright, she had to concentrate on the present, so she returned to her studies, this time with no distractions.

"Finally I've made it to Ponyville ," said a male unicorn with brown coat and silver-colored mane as he put on some sunglasses. Glancing around him, he finally spotted a couple of local looking ponies. Quickly trotting over, the brown colt kindly asked them for directions to the nearest library. Taking a moment to think they eventually pointed to an old oak tree with housing modifications.

"It not very fancy but it is one of the best," they said.  
Giving a farewell to the informative ponies, the colt headed toward the library that was owned by Twilight. As he made his way over to the library he took notice of how peaceful everything in Ponyville seemed.

_"Interesting design for a library"_  
he said and kept walking while he had another thought.

He reached the doorstep and started knocking. After a minute, the door opened and the colt was received by the little dragon, Spike.  
"Oh, hi there buddy. Do you attend this library? I need to check some volumes."  
"Hold on a second. We have a customer!" the little dragon shouted, and Twilight came down to the door.  
"Good evening, come on in. How can we help you?" The colt entered into the library, looked around for a minute, and said, "Yes. Actually, I am looking for some history books and some books about the Elements of Harmony."  
"How do you know about the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked, impressed and suspicious.  
"Well, the thing is that I have always been a legends fan, but one day while I was searching for the real event behind a certain legend, I came across with the story of Nightmare Moon and her defeat by Celestia using the Elements of Harmony. Then I remembered when Nightmare Moon was defeated again, and Princess Luna returned to us. Nightmare Moon was defeated by six young mares instead of Celestia because she was temporarily banished to the sun by Nightmare Moon, but the mares' identities remained anonymous by Celestia's order. I don't know why that was, but then came this lord of chaos of whom I learned in another story too, and he was defeated by the same six mares! I mean, they saved the world twice, and this time every paper in Equestria had the story and their pictures, although the names still remained anonymous. I want to know how it is that they work because how is it possible that at first, Luna and Celestia used the elements to defeat Discord, then Celestia alone used the same elements to banish Nightmare Moon? And now there are six mares necessary to use them!"

Twilight remained amazed by how much this colt showed to know and observe. She thought for two minutes and said, "Well I first learned about the elements in this book over here." Twilight used her magic to levitate the book and leaned it towards the colt. "But all that it says is that a living representation of each element is necessary to make them work. Maybe the reason why Celestia and/or Luna could use them alone was because they themselves were living representations of each element."

"I seriously doubt it," the colt coldly said.

"What?" Twilight said.

"Oh no, nothing I… just thought in a loud voice… I think."

"Well I am searching for some national and universal history too, so I'll like to see your copies."

"Yes…" Twilight levitated some other history books and leant them to the colt.

"So you are not from this town, I can see that. Where are you from and why did you come to Ponyville?" Twilight asked, now in a suspicious tone.

"Well, like I said, I was searching for the real event behind a legend and that led me to Canterlot's biggest library, but they told me that the most specialized books are in the Royal Library, but that some of those books were loaned to a local library in Ponyville. I have been living in Canterlot for at least 15 years, so I can say that is like my home city," the colt finished.

"There is something familiar with you… have we seen each other before?"

"Oh no, I don't think so. I would remember you too, and I never forget faces." The colt clarified and continued, "Maybe I have a very generic face, and I look like any guy."

"No, I think it's something in your voice…" Twilight said.

"Oh, is that so? Well then I must have a beautiful voice, and now you are confusing my voice with that of some actor or singer. It happens," the colt said in an almost happy tone.

"Yes… maybe, but I don't think that would be the case," Twilight said in an inquisitive way.  
"Then it must be a simple case of déjà vu, but it's only a trick of the mind, and you shouldn't let it bother you," the colt said in a skeptical tone.  
"Yes, could be just that… well sir, is there anything else I can do to help?" Twilight said in an industrious tone.

"No, not for now. Thanks," the colt said.

"Just let me seal them for the loaning," Twilight said.

"Hey Twilight, are you going to keep chatting some more? If so I'm taking a break." Spike announced absent mindedly to Twilight. . Did you hear me?" Spiked announced to Twilight.  
At this, the brown colt shocked and said, "Twilight? Like Twilight Sparkle? Princess Celestia's personal disciple and protégé? That Twilight Sparkle?" the colt asked in an enthusiastic way.

"Why yes, but how do you know that?"

"Are you kidding? It came on the newspapers! Princess Celestia's disciple and Captain Shining Armor's sister was the bridegroom's chosen one to sing at the royal wedding. Oh my! It's you! I am meeting a celebrity! Would you give me your autograph? Or maybe a picture with you? Or a picture with you and your autograph on it? Or maybe-"

The colt was deliriously asking questions, but Twilight interrupted him and said, "Alright, calm down. I didn't know that was on the newspapers. I really don't like the idea of being a celebrity anyway, but if you really want it, I think I'll give you my autograph," Twilight replied at his rant that nearly seemed like an antic for her. The colt levitated an empty sticky note that was near and leant it to Twilight.

"And for whom is this autograph?" Twilight asked expectant, and the colt took off his sunglasses and revealed a pair of bright golden eyes.

"Magic… Magic Silver, please!"

Twilight wrote the autograph with the dedicatory and gave it to Magic Silver with the sealed books.

"Thanks for the autograph, but now that I know a celebrity lives in this town, I will seriously think of moving from Canterlot to Ponyville. Ms. Twilight, you seem like an interesting pony. It would be nice if we could get to know each other better and your Ponyville friends too. But for now, I must head back to my home. I will get the books returned in two or three days… I hope to see you more often Ms. Twilight."

The colt finished, went outside the library and headed to the train station.  
"See you around Mr. Silver!" Twilight shouted after Magic Silver, when he was now far from the library. But in the road, for Magic Silver, his only thought was,

_"Yes Twilight, I will see you around even if you don't want it. Some way, shape, or form you are going to accept my friendship… and my help. This time the Elements of Harmony won't be enough. I won't do it for you and your princess Celestia but for the entire world. Enjoy your peace while you can Twilight Sparkle_. Magic Silver thought  
"It's good to be back" he said with a grin.


	2. Chapter 2

2:00AM.

Magic Silver was sleeping without sheets. He thinks he doesn't need them; they just make the nights worse. He doesn`t really sleep more than a few hour these days; the nightmare visions of a horrible disaster keep him awake. Every time he starts to dream, he starts to struggle against the nightmare and his best efforts drive him to wake with an accelerated heartbeat and a forehead soaked in cold sweat. This experience has showed him a new emotion he never felt before: fear. He is more concerned than he realizes. With every night that passes, he realizes that his resolution to accomplish his duty and the responsibility he feels is the righteous. He rises from his bed, goes to the window in front of him, and watches the horizon embraced by the moon.

"Every night is worse the last..." He muttered, wiping his dripping brow. "This is the tenth night in a row these visions have tormented me; such a cold reminder of what is to come. I must fulfill my duty to this world. The time is drawing nearer; I must begin preparing Twilight Sparkle. Only she can stop this disaster from coming to pass..." Sighing, he turned and began to pack his belongings. He had a long journey ahead of him.

Morning came and went. By noon he was already out, headed for the train station. He greeted several ponies that he met on his time in Canterlot, a short escape from the weight of his goal. It was short lived though. By that afternoon, he had his ticket, and was on the train to Ponyville.

He arrived in Ponyville several hours later. Quickly, he gathered his books into his pack, and headed for the library. It didn't him very long, and soon he was standing before the familiar tree. He knocked, waiting for an answer. Instead of Twilight however, Spike answered the door.

"Oh, hello there." Magic Silver greeted, bowing his head politely. "Is Twilight Sparkle home at the moment?"

"No, she left a couple of hours ago," Spike replied.

"And where did she go?" the colt asked, nearly exasperated.

"I think she's at Rarity's boutique, helping her out with some gems," Spike revealed. "But what do you need her for?"

"I just… need to speak with her on certain matters… Thank you. Oh, also here are the books that I borrowed."

Spike took the books, and with this, Magic Silver asked one final thing

"Oh, um... where can I find the boutique?" Spike revealed him the domicile and after that, the colt finally departed to the boutique.

Magic Silver quickly, but calmly, got to the boutique. It has the door opened. He entered and saw Twilight and Rarity. Twilight was trying to somehow modify some jewels, but all that she did was break it. By looking to the floor, Magic Silver saw a pile of gems; either broken, or stripped of their glow and color.

"Hello Ms. Twilight Sparkle, I see you are busy. Have I came at a bad moment?" Magic Silver respectfully asked.

"Oh, not at all, just let me fix this… and-" Twilight said as she tried to modify another gem with her magic, but it suddenly shattered.

"Darn it…" Twilight said frustrated.

"Why are you trying to modify these gems?" Magic Silver asked, and Twilight was about to respond, but Rarity quickly interrupted.

"Last night, a very important client came with a big order of outfits with gems. Emeralds to be specific. Naturally, I accepted without hesitation, but I forgot that I used them all on another one of my outfits. I don't have time to go out and find more, so I asked Twilight to come and see if her magic could change the color of these rubies. I have some obsidian stones that can play like emeralds, but anypony with half a sense of fashion could tell that they lack in luster. It's all proving to be very frustrating.

"Isn't that a little… dishonest?" Magic Silver asked concerned.

"Normally I would agree with you, but this is a very big contract, and I'm out of time! I can't go out looking for emeralds now, what would the client think? Worse, think of how it would affect my boutique's reputation!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Well, maybe I can help. I have a trick that'll do just that!" Magic Silver said enthusiastically.

"You do? Because I know several spells that have a limited control over the matter, but none of those seemed to work to modify these simple rocks," Twilight listlessly said.

"Let me give a try." Magic Silver levitated a gem and started his explanation. "Look: you must not concentrate on trying to manipulate the gems' matter. You have to focus in their glow. Put a gem trough the light and watch its glow. Focus in that, then start concentrating your magic in the exact point where the shine comes. Then you have to perform a spell to change the light spectrum." he said, effortlessly manipulating the ruby. "This is relatively easy because you will be changing the light spectrum of a single tiny object." Magic Silver ended his demonstration and gave Twilight the finished ruby, now as green as any emerald.

"As for the obsidian gemstones," he added, examining one. "you only have to add them some more glow. This is even easier to make, just cast a simple illuminating ray, and then they will shine just as the bigger precious gems," Magic Silver finished.

Twilight tried again to do the same following the instructions. Instead of producing results, the color suddenly drained, leaving a grey, lifeless stone in its place.

"Easy there, this takes time," Magic Silver said concerned. "I think I can handle things from here. You shouldn't waste time, it would be better if you start making the main outfits until you're ready to add the gems."

Twilight and Rarity agreed, and started on the ensembles. Magic Silver continued his work modifying the gems, growing impatient as minutes turned to hours. With his help, Rarity was able to complete the job with a space of few minutes before the client's arrival. After a brief congratulations from the client and a payment, Rarity thanked Twilight and Magic Silver and dismissed them . The colt finally had time to talk with Twilight.

"I'm sorry, I almost forgot! What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well, like I told you the first time, you are quite an interesting mare. I can only imagine what I could learn from Princess Celestia's disciple. Surely you can agree that the things I can learn from you are beyond my wildest dreams! And besides, I'd like to know how it is to have a mare as a friend; I never had a female friend. I think I can learn plenty of things about mares, and I think you may learn something too, you don't have male friends, do you?" Magic Silver finished.

Twilight blushed, flattered by Magic's request. "Um..." she quickly searched the library of her mind for her male friends. Her brother came instantly to mind, though they hadn't spoken in quite some time. There was Big Macintosh, though she only really knew him by face and name. She started to wonder how different it could be to have a male friend. If it's like to have a brother, she would be more than charmed with the idea, and if it's to have her normal female friends (with the obvious differences) then another friend is never too much. She ended liking the whole idea.

"I suppose it would be a fresh experience." She said, hesitantly. "Sure, I'll be your friend; if you promise to help me with the coloration spell you showed me." Twilight said jokingly.

"It'd be my pleasure; like I said, we can learn many things from each other, and you know what? I think this is related to destiny, because I feel that my destiny could be here in Ponyville with you." At this, Twilight's eyes grew wide in surprise, and she turned away blushing.

"OH!... no, no, I didn't mean that! I meant that it is MY destiny to be your friend, but not necessarily your destiny, because I am not interested in you in that way—but don't get me wrong; of course I like mares, and I think you are beautiful! I'm just not personally interested in you, and don't misunderstand, I think that many, many colts might find you attractive, but not me, not—now—I mean—I um… I think I'm screwing this up, aren't I?"

Twilight Sparkle still had her head turned away, he couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or angry, perhaps both. The silence seemed to last an eternity.

"Damn it… why now?" He thought, mentally slapping himself. "_Ugh… the only time I have an opportunity like this and I screw it up. Veeery clever Magic Silver. I should consider having to change my name to 'Stupid Silver'. It'd fit better."_

Twilight finally turned her head to the front, but she had a wide smile in her face like if she found something funny, but not enough to make her laugh. The truth was that Twilight found Silver's awkwardness amusing and that his intentions were sincere; if he was so concerned about not ruining the opportunity of have her as a friend.

"Yes, I think this is stupid too... You know what? We should just forget this whole thing, you don't need some idiot to embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable." Magic Silver said ashamed.

"It's not that, it's just... you remind me of myself back when I first came to Ponyville. It also reminds how much I have changed since then. Magic Silver, of course I'll like to be your friend, and yes I want to learn things from this friendship." Twilight happily said.

"Really…? Then I guess I'll definitely move to Ponyville. It will be better to stay close to my new friend. I don't have any real friends in Canterlot anyway, so there's nothing holding me back. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle for allowing me to call you my friend." Magic Silver said with joy and relief on his voice.

"No need to thank me; I couldn't deny my friendship to someone who truly wanted it, especially when I know they don't have any other friends." When they came to Twilight's house, they proceeded to say goodbye.

"Well, see you later Magic." Twilight said first.

"Yes, tomorrow I will start arranging my move to Ponyville. For now, it's goodbye, but you will see me again very soon. Have a good evening Ms. Twilight Sparkle, and in the future, perhaps you could introduce me to some of your other friends." Magic added.

"Please, just call me Twilight."

"Alright, goodbye Twilight." With that, Magic Silver departed to the train station, knowing finally that his plans could commence.

After a few days, Magic Silver finally had a home to his own. The move was quick, and by week's end, everything he could ever possibly need was in Ponyville. He moved to the near edge of Ponyville, farthest from the Everfree forest. Of course, the task of moving his belongings and placing them into his new house was a task that took him an entire day. He felt bad that he wasn't able to say hello to Twilight, but he didn't let that bother him. After all, he was going to see her very often from now on.

Placing the furniture inside his house was exhausting. Sleep wasn't an issue though. The nightmares still plagued him each night. These sleepless nights did give him time to ponder these strange visions. What if they were only the future that 'could be' if he didn't succeed in his task? With each passing night however, his hope for a different path faded, and it began to seem more like the future that 'would be'. The only hoped that Twilight cooperated and accept his help, but most of all: trusted him.

In the morning, he left his new house to buy some supplies in the market square of Ponyville. He only needed some food; he could buy an entire years-worth of food if he needed, but his priority now was to visit Twilight Sparkle so he could begin his teachings. His hunger got the best of him though, and he stopped to grab some quick breakfast. He could at least spare some time to eat something before going to Twilight's house, but while he was buying some lettuce and other vegetables, he saw Twilight in another stall, buying some fruit. He couldn't believe his luck. He quickly finished his purchase and headed to greet Twilight.

"The morning surely brings blessings! Good morning Twilight!" Magic Silver said.

"Oh, good morning Silver, I didn't expect to see you out this early!" Twilight happily said.

"Well yes, the thing is that I finally finished my move here from Canterlot. I barely finished settling the furniture in my new house, of which, of course, you are welcomed to visit, when I noticed I was out of food. I decided it would be a good opportunity to check out some of the local markets. Do you often buy food so early in the morning?" He asked.

"Well, not really often, but this vendor has the better products and he runs out of them very quickly. So here I am, buying while there are still good fruits and vegetables." Twilight clarified.

"Twilight, I was wondering..." Silver began insecurely. "Perhaps you can make a little space in your schedule for me to meet your other friends? We could have a little visit to each one of them…"

"Well, that's not quite possible..." Twilight replied, and Magic Silver started to look disappointed.

"But I can arrange a meeting for all of us! Come to my house at eight o'clock and you could meet my other friends. They would love to meet my newest friend as well, I'm sure of it!" Twilight added.

"Really? That would be perfect; I'll be there, thanks Twilight!"

Later that day, he prepared to visit Twilight. He pondered all the ways they could spend time together; maybe speak some more, or perhaps read together. Maybe they could even practice magic! Then he remembered that before thinking of spending time with Twilight, he had to meet her other friends. He swore underneath his breath and checked the clock. A little over half past seven. "Time to get going..." he murmured, starting out the door.

Although it didn't take half an hour to reach the library, the space in-between gave him plenty of time to think of excuses he could use to get Twilight alone. It was a lot more difficult than he thought it would be. When he finally reached the library's doorstep, he noticed that all the lights were dark. He hesitantly knocked at the door, but there was no answer. Instead, the knob slowly turned itself, and the door creaked open. He felt a slight sense of oddness as he stared into the darkness of the library. As little as he wanted to enter the darkness, he reasoned with himself that it could only possibly be a joke. He never would've taken Twilight as the kind of pony who liked playing pranks, but then again, he had seen stranger things. He prepared himself for anything and stepped inside, carefully making his way through the darkness when suddenly, a brilliant flash of light blinded him:

"SURPRISE!" many voices shouted. He recovered from the shock and he saw that now every light was turned on.

"Hello! And welcome to your surprise Pinkie Pie Party!" an elated pink pony happily shouted, hopping over to the still dazed Silver. "I'm Pinke Pie, and you must be Magic Silver. Twilight told me about you!" she added.

"Um... Yes, thanks for the welcoming party... but speaking of Twilight, you wouldn't happen to know where she is right now?" Magic Silver asked.

"Of course I do silly! She mentioned that you wanted to meet us here, so let me take you to her." Pinkie Pie said.

On the way, Magic Silver recognized many ponies that he saw in the little time so far in Ponyville. He thought it odd that they would come to a complete stranger's party… or do all these ponies really know each other that well? Well they got to the place; there were Twilight and a few others standing by her: Rarity who he recognized from the boutique, an earth pony, and two Pegasi.

"Hello Silver! You said you wanted to meet my other friends, well, here they are! I'm guessing you already know Pinkie Pie, she throws the best parties in Ponyville, maybe even all of Equestria. You met Rarity last week." At this, Magic Silver proceeded to properly greet Rarity by holding her hoof and taking a bow, and after a minute, Twilight Sparkle continued.

"This is Rainbow Dash." she said, motioning to the blue Pegasus.

"Hey, what's up?" Rainbow Dash said, and Magic Silver raised his hoof, waiting for Rainbow Dash to do the same. When she did, he leaned his hoof into a hoofbump. Rainbow Dash did the same with confidence.

"This is Applejack." Twilight said, continuing her introductions. "She and her family are responsible for most of the apple production around here."

"Howdy, partner!" Applejack said, and Magic Silver greeted her like he did with Rainbow Dash. "Wait," she interrupted, breaking away from the hoofbump. Turning away, she burped. She turned back, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. At least had the decency of turning to another side.

"Charming." Silver said, motioning Twilight to continue. After that, Twilight finalized introducing Fluttershy, but she only said an almost inaudible "Hello" and cowered with her mane, but Magic Silver just made a quick bow and said "Charmed."

With the last introduction out of the way, Silver finally saw the opportunity he had been waiting for. "It's a colorful and interesting group of friends that you have Twilight," he began innoculously, glancing over the group. "but could I speak with you in private?"

"Um, sure..?" Twilight hesitantly agreed as they separated from the group.

"When you said you wanted to introduce me to your friends I was expecting something a little more... subtle." Magic Silver said.

"Yes, but this was to show you the amazing parties that Pinkie Pie throws. Besides, don't you like parties?"

"I suppose... but I'm not very fond of them either. The real reason I wanted to talk with you is that I know that you are a pony very skilled with magic; after all, you are Celestia's disciple. I was thinking that I want to learn magic as well. Believe me, I am not as good as you may think after what you saw back at the boutique, but I want to improve, to surpass myself, I want to learn magic from one of the best. I want to learn from you… and in exchange, I can teach you some clever tricks that I know to make some of your spells easier."

Twilight blushed at this. She'd received many compliments for skills at magic in the past, either from her partners at the magic academy or Celestia, but never to the point of wanting her as a teacher. She thought on the prospect of having a student of her own, then smiled. "Yes, I can be your teacher. I can't deny knowledge to those who want to learn, and, like I said the other day, I'd like to learn more about that trick you made at the boutique." Twilight enthusiastically said.

"So, when can we start?" Magic Silver said.

"How about tomorrow after lunch? We could have it at my house." Twilight asked.

"Well, yes I would love to, but do you often invite your friends to lunch with you?" Magic Silver replied.

"Well, no, not too often and not at my house, but we are going to spend the morning reading magic books and practicing spells, so I think it would be dumb to have activities at my house, but before that going to a far place only to eat," Twilight Sparkle pointed.

"Yes, makes sense. Well, I'll be here tomorrow for lunch. I may not LOVE parties, but I think I can have some fun now." After some hours, the party was over and Twilight was saying goodbye to everybody. And then, she had to say goodbye to Magic Silver.

"Good night Magic Silver."

"Good night Twilight, have a nice rest," Magic Silver said. "I'll be here tomorrow, and I'll promise you now, you won't regret this agreement. It will be a very rich exchange of knowledge."

"I hope so, too," Twilight added. And so Magic Silver departed, and Twilight Sparkle entered into her house ready to sleep. On the way back to his house, Magic Silver thought

"From tomorrow Twilight Sparkle, I will give you the opportunity to prove yourself as a teacher, and I will show you that I can be a better teacher than Celestia herself. Rest now, what is to come will force your limits and you shall be prepared. You have a power beyond your wildest dreams, you just don't know it yet. But soon I will open your mind and let you discover it, unlike Celestia who has tried so hard to hide it…"


End file.
